Soaps on SciFi Channel??

Now, I know I might piss some people off saying this: Dark Shadows was a terrible show, but I understand why it was on the SciFi Channel. What is up with this:

The Sci Fi Channel is going into the soap business. Beginning next week (February 13, 2006) the science fiction cable channel, owned by NBC Universal will begin airing the Emmy Award winning soap opera Passions, starring Juliet Mills as part of its [cut out, I will not promote time] morning schedule (Slice of SciFi).

Will Soap air soon? You know Soap the comedy series? There is an exorcism in it. Am I the only one who thinks SciFi Channel may have jumped the shark on this one?

Charlie Dorsett

My name is Charlie, but if your looking for my work, I go by C. E. Dorsett. I write scifi, fantasy, and a touch of horror. I like to play with gothic, steampunk, decopunk, epic fantasy, and wuxia. I love to tell stories and talk about books, movies, series, and music.

Fandom v The Scifi Channel

Eoghann Irving from Solar Flare has written a post claiming, “There’s No Such Thing as Science Fiction Fandom.” His main point:

It would be more accurate to claim that there’s no such thing as a single unifying science fiction fandom.

I think there’s a strong case to be made that historically there used to be one. The one that formed around the pulp magazines, that essentially created WorldCon and the Hugos. Members of that fandom were at one time a pretty good example of the average science fiction fan (Solar Flare).

Is Fandom splintering?

In February, I wrote Three Types of SF Fans, in which I explored the major divisions within SF Fandom. I do not believe that Fandom is splintering, our problem is Pop Culture exposure and a misapprehension about what fandom is.

The Source of the Problem:

Fans are fanatics! They eat, drink, breathe and live SF.

Enthusiasts think they are fans. They get excited by the release of an SF film, maybe play some games, but are not defined by their interest in SF.

As SF has made its flash into the Pop Culture, many new enthusiasts have been created and a few new fans. Every flash in the pan has this effect.

We are at the point in the cycle when SF has past its peak in popularity and is falling out of favor causing the enthusiasts to stay interested in the series that turned them on, while talking trash about other SF so they can hold on to an image of coolness, the image of a fracturing fandom is born.

The Scifi Channel is to Blame

The Scifi Channel and the major studios have fed this seeming division by conflating futuristic action films and series with science fiction leaving many enthusiasts to believe that SF is synonymous with futuristic action films.

This makes it almost impossible for any non-action based series or film to have any sort of traction.

To make this point clearer, I have debated with people whether Dead like Me and Eli Stone are SF. The group I was talking with insisted that they were not because they were not action packed...

Promoting Fan Culture

But the scale of the genre now is such that you really can’t assume that another science fiction fan will like or even be interested in what you are interested in. The sheer number of fandoms within the science fiction fan community results in a huge diversity of opinions and tastes (Solar Flare).

Our biggest problem with multiple fandoms is that fans have failed to communicate fan culture to the next generation. We have allowed pop culture to parody and ridicule our lives without offering an alternative take for people to see. The beauty and power of a filksing, the humor of a masquerade, or the basic comradery of a convention.

As long as we allow pop culture to define fandom, true fans will continue to find themselves pushed further and further out of the picture. So keep the faith, and spread the word.

Second Look: Space: Above and Beyond

I barely remember watching Space: Above and Beyond when it was on Fox in 1995-96. My significant memory is from the repeated marathons of the show on the Sci Fi Channel. I am surprised in many ways that the series actually got made in the first place.

The show chronicles the adventures of the 58th, "Wild Cards," a group of marines fighting to defend earth from an advancing military threat in 2063-2064. While that might sound like standard Military Sci Fi, common fodder for TV, the frank and gritty look at the consequences of war on those who must fight it is like nothing I have ever seen before. Issues ranging from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to combat duty rotation are covered in a realist and gripping way.

One of the most endearing characteristics of the show is how well it translates the Marines' care to bury their dead, leaving no one behind on the battle field.

Each member of the 58th came into the service for a different reason, adding many levels to what could have been yet another Military SF series.

The one thing that surprises me the most is that this series did not engender a Firefly-like fan base to keep the series alive, even if only through fanfiction.

Thankfully, I rediscovered the series through Netflix, and it has traveled past the veil from a renter to an owner. If no one else is writing fanfic for Space: Above and Beyond, then I might have to start. If you have never seen the series, or haven't watched it in a long time, pick it up and check it out. I am so glad I did.

Terminator TV

I have no interest in this...

Thomas Dekker (NBC's Heroes) is set to play John Connor in Fox's SF drama pilot The Sarah Connor Chronicles, based on the Terminator film franchise, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Dekker, who plays Claire's friend Zach on Heroes, will join Lena Headey in the title role. Sarah was played by Linda Hamilton in the films; John was played by Edward Furlong in 1991's Terminator 2: Judgment Day and by Nick Stahl in 2003's Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.

The action of The Sarah Connor Chronicles takes place after the events depicted in Terminator 2 and follows Sarah, a modern warrior and loving single mom to 15-year-old son John (Sci Fi Wire).

I love the first 2 Terminator films. Ages ago, my uncle Jean and cousin Jeff rented a VCR so we could the first Terminator movie on Video Tape and my grandparents home. It was the first movie I ever watched on tape. My first real love and I saw the second one in the theater. I love them both. The third one could not happen, plus I heard nothing good about it, so I never watched it... Now they are making a series...

I am more likely to try out the series than I ever am to see the third movie, but I must admit, I would rather see more Firefly...

New Doctor Who on SciFi Channel

SCI FI Channel announced Jan. 12 that it will air the first season of the BBC's hit SF series Doctor Who, starting in March. The 13 episodes, starring Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor and Billie Piper as Rose Tyler, will air as part of SCI FI Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/PT (SciFi Wire).

As a huge fan of Doctor Who, I am ecstatic about the US airing... That said, after these 13 episodes, what will happen?

Ninth Doctor Who actor Christopher Eccleston has decided to quit the role, it was confirmed last night [31 March 2005] (BBC).

How will US audiences who are not used to Doctor Who react when after 13 episodes the Main Character is recast?

Squarely in the frame for the role of Doctor number ten is David Tennant, currently starring in Russell T Davies' Casanova, and about to appear as Dr Briscoe in BBC Four's live broadcast of The Quatermass Experiment on Saturday (BBC).

While I hope to see all of the new Doctor Who's, and I hope the series will continue after the Eccleston Episodes.